Sanskrit: The Language of the Ancient Scriptures:
A Home Study Course

By Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Ph.D. and Kamla Dubey, Ph.D.

This on-going Home Study Course is recommended for all serious students of yoga, yoga teachers, and anyone who loves the Sanskrit language.

Goals

As the basis of the most logical, systematic, and complete science of language, Sanskrit is a sacred link that takes us to the root of our being. Sanskrit expresses the underlying unity of the physical body and the material and subtle worlds. The overall goal of the course is to give you a first-hand experience of Sanskrit as a spiritual practice.

The Home Study Course will familiarize you with the language of ancient scriptures and introduce you to the vocabulary and grammatical rules you need to study scriptures such as Yoga Sutra, Netra Tantra, Saundaryalahari, and other practical texts of tantra, hatha, and raja yoga. You will learn the correct way to write and pronounce the Sanskrit alphabet, the most commonly encountered grammatical forms, and the basic vocabulary of yoga as a spiritual practice.

Studying Sanskrit results in a deeper understanding of spirituality and enables you to organize your meditation and yoga practices in an authentic and traditional manner. Completion of the Home Study Course will enable you to judge the authenticity of contemporary writing, evaluate translations of scriptures, and help you gather knowledge conducive to your practice.

Topics covered include:

• The alphabet, written and spoken.Basic vocabulary of yoga and spiriutal practice.
• Grammatical rules needed to study the Yoga Sutra and other texts of hatha, kundalini, raja, and tantra yoga.
• Fundamentals of sentence structure, including translating compound words.
• Translation and recitation of verses and mantras relevant to daily practice taken from the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutra, and other spiritual texts.

Unique Features

The vocabulary in the Home Study Course is derived directly from the scriptures. After the initial lessons covering the alphabet, you will work indirectly with carefully selected passages that contain significant instructions for our spiritual practices. These phrases, verses, mantras, and sutras are suitable for study, contemplation, and memorization.

Sanskrit is devabhasa, the language of the divine beings. As part of the Home Study Course, you will learn the perfect equation between the sounds of Sanskrit and different aspects of the microcosm and macrocosm as well as how the vibrations of Sanskrit correspond to different constellations, planets, shrines, herbs, gems, and different limbs, organs, nadis, and chakras in the body.

Course materials for the Home Study Course consist of a 530 page manual that features:

• Answer keys for all exercises.
• A 1,000 word glossary.
• Appendices of original translations of hymns from the Sanskrit scriptures.
• Six compact disc recordings covering pronunciation for all lessons.

Above all, ongoing personal assistance is available from the Himalayan Institute faculty via email and telephone. The Home Study Course is not just another book for your library-it is a continuing encounter with the living tradition of Sanskrit wisdom. If you are ready for the study of Sanskrit to empower your spiritual practice and transform your life, we invite you to register today.

The Sanskrit Home Study Course and Sanskrit Intensives qualify for credit in the Himalayan Institute Teachers Association (HITA) 500-hour yoga teacher certification program. Call 570-647-1521 for details, or email www.hita@himalayaninstitute.org.

Sanskrit: The Language of the Ancient Scriptures: A Home Study Course
530 page book includes glossary, exercises, answer keys, and 6 CDs, shipped via UPS.
Personal assistance and guidance is never more than an email away.

To order or for more information, please call the Himalayan Institute's Contact Center at 800-822-4547 (press 2).

Experience Sanskrit as a spiritual practice.